Coal coloring method



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Gauge I. kzngzbgot MMA@ Gttorneg G F CAMPBELL COAL COLORING METHOD Filed MaICh 15, 1940 April 7, 1942'.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 COAL COLORING METHOD George F. Campbell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Old Ben Coal Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application March 13, 1940, Serial No. 323,817

1 Claim.

This invention pertains to the method and apparatus for identifying coal, and is particularly directed to the application of color or other distinguishing means to coal.

In the past it has been diicult for purchasers of coal to ascertain upon inspection the source of a given lot of coal, and it is an object of my invention to provide means for applying a distinctive'color, such as green, to coal so that a buyer may know the mine or mines from which it comes.

Another object is to provide means for feedingl coal to dividing or separating means so that a small proportionvof the coal from a given lot is separated out for the subsequent step of identifying the smaller amount.

A further object of my invention is to provide conveying means for the coal intermittently disposed along the route of travel of the coal from the hopper to its final destination.

Still another object is to provide means for dividing out the coal that is being conveyed so that upon reaching the spraying means, distinct coloring of each piece of coal is insured.

A still further object is to provide means for heating the coal painted to expedite the drying.

Another and still further object is to provide blower means to additionally expedite the drying of the painted coal.

An additional object is to provide means for conveying the dried painted coal to a place of storage.

Another additional object is to provide means for controlling the feeding of the unpainted coals.

which permits the regulation by delivering any desired portion of coal into the storage receptacle I4, and the balance on to the screen or separating means I6. The smaller pieces of coal will be deposited into the storage receptacle I4 while the large pieces of coal willfall upon the conveyor I8.

A further additional object is to provide feed- Means for adjusting the angle of the flow of the coal from the conveyor I8 is provided at 2D. Dividing means 22 is positioned so that the coals will be evenly distributed around the paint sprayers 24. The painted coals will then fall upon the conveyor 26 which has heating means 28 positioned adjacent thereto. In addition to this paint-drying means, a blower 30, positioned near the conveyor to insure the drying of the coal, is provided. A chute or incline 32 is positioned so that the dried or semi-dried painted coals will fall upon another drying conveyor 34, which carries them to the storage 36.

Feeding means 38 is provided to deposit the unpainted coals upon the mixing and loading screen 40. Painted coal feeding means 42 is positioned adjacent the feeding means 38 so that the required proportion of painted coals and unpainted coals is obtained. Mixing vanes 44 are positioned at the end of the feeding means 40 for further intermingling the coals before delivery into the transporting means 46.

An alternative, when treating coals of a more uniform size, would present the following modification. The dividing gate I2 would remove the desired portion of the lcoal which would pass through a chute instead of the separating means I6, to the conveyor I8, or the adjustable chute 2B, and continue on in the same manner as outlined above until they are mixed with the coal from the storage I'4.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The method of identifying coal consisting of screening a fraction of over-sized lumps from the bulk, uniformly coloring said lumps by spraying color material thereon, drying the color material on the lumps by heating and blowing, and redistributing the lumps with the bulk in controlled proportion as required at the point of distribution to identify the coal.

GEORGE F. CAMPBELL. 

